Gus Van Sant says Sean Penn's off-screen activism made him ideal choice to play Harvey Milk...

Gus Van Sant presented "Milk" at the Berlin Film Festival this week where the film was screened out of competition. The Oscar-nominated director told the press the "Milk" star Sean Penn was a good choice to play slain gay rights leadcer Harvey Milk in the film because of his experience of political activism.

When the movie's makers considered Penn for the lead role, "there were many political speeches that you could hear him give," Van Sant said at a news conference. They "thought that he could do that part of the movie, the political speaking part...His politics, not necessarily the type of politics, but (the fact) that he was politically motivated and active, was out there expressing himself."